The Grasshopper and the Ant

Illustration by Charles Henry Bennett of "The Ant and the Grasshopper" from Fables of Æsop and others, translated into human nature, 1857

"The Grasshopper and the Ant" is a fable by the ancient Greek fabulist Aesop. It was also told by 17th-century French fabulist, Jean de La Fontaine.

Story

A grasshopper sings and plays all summer without a thought for the coming winter. The ant however works hard through the summer, finding and storing food for the cold months to come. When winter arrives, the ant has plenty to eat, but the grasshopper starves to death.

Adaptations

The fable has been adapted to movies many times, the first being made by George Méliès in France in 1897. Walt Disney adapted the fable for an animated movie in 1934. The Disney version featured the song, "The World Owes Me a Living", which later that year became a Shirley Temple hit.

Video selections

• Walt Disney Silly Symphony "The Grasshopper and the Ants"

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